Safety Town teaches fire safety

NORWALK — There have been two separate fire fatalities in Huron County in the last week. That makes programs like the Norwalk Police Department's Safety Town seem even more important. Police Capt. Dave Daniels, who runs Safety Town, said fire safety is a big part of what children learn when they are in Safety Town. "I think it's highly important," Daniels said. "Sometimes parents don't realize the importance of fire safety or they don't know how to talk about it with their kids." Aspects of fire safety in Safety Town include what to do if a fire alarm goes off, aspects of "stop, drop, and roll," the importance of smoke detectors, and getting children familiar with firefighters, Daniels said. "Stop, drop, and roll" is a technique that is taught for when clothing catches fire, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). "If clothes catch fire, stop where you are, drop to the ground and cover your eyes and mouth with your hands, and roll over and over back and forth until the flames are out," the NFPA's website states. Thursday morning, Safety Town participants walked from where Safety Town is held at Main Street School to visit with Norwalk Fire Department firefighters at the old fire station on Whittlesey Avenue. Firefighters Matt Starcher and Mike Frado gave the Safety Town participants a talk about fire safety. The firefighters talked about how to call 9-1-1, lighter safety, the importance of smoke detectors, how to get down low if there is smoke in a house, and establishing a safe meeting place outside of a home in case of fire. Safety Town is a program for children that teaches safety lessons about fire, pedestrians/traffic, water, guns, and poisons/drugs. It is also the name given to a replica town created to instruct children about safety measures. Eligible for Safety Town are kids entering kindergarten this fall. Wednesday afternoon an 8-year-old boy, Wyatt Duchette, died in a house fire on Main Street in Norwalk. An 8-year-old girl, Linda Garay, died in a house fire on Main Street on June 3 in Greenwich.